Welcome to the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast presented by Train and Road.

Today we have Tobin Orton Blod with us from the Santa Cruz hit squad. Tobin, stoked to have you back. We're going to talk about tactics and what you do when you're a marked rider. We've been watching Quinn Simmons and the tour recently complain about Cat 5 tactics. He's claimed it and, you know, kind of a similar situation. But we're going to look into one from one of you. you are listening or watching this podcast

submitted a question about this. it and you know kind of a similar situation but we're going to look into one from one of you

you are listening or watching this podcast submitted a question about this you can do that right

now in the youtube comments we're also going to talk about why is it that athletes see a higher

or like what happens in your body when you get a higher boost from VO2 max blocks rather than

threshold blocks to your threshold we're also going to get, you know, quite a few different details on like physiology, some fun stuff. So Tobin, let's just dig right into it. This question was submitted from Anonymous, which I think is telling in and of itself. They didn't include their name. They say, what do I do to combat negative racing? My background is in running, and over the past three years, I've improved from a total

beginner to being one of the best riders in my area.

I got a few wins in my first season and looking back, what I thought was the results of

good tactical decision-making was really just a fitness advantage.

In my second season, I started riding for a team and learned all about tactics, and toward the end of the season, I was winning almost every race. That team folded, and this year, I've been racing on my own. But no matter what I do, I can't seem to win this year because I'm so incessantly marked. It seems like almost the entire field is just fully convinced that I'm the only one that can win. So if I go, I have an entire field chasing me.

This usually opens the door so that one or two savvy riders can get away.

I'll tell everybody else they need to chase them down or the break will win, but they just

don't listen.

Since nobody does anything, I usually let my frustration get the best of me and I'll attack

and catch the break, but once I catch them, everybody just sits up and keeps marking me. Tomen's laughing

because this feels very relatable. For the last three weeks, I have decided to not chase down

anybody that went up the road. And wouldn't you know it, they still don't do anything.

And they just wait behind me and sprint at the end.

This has let the same guy win three times now, yet they don't think twice about chasing him when he goes.

Racing has completely lost its fun factor for me, and I'm thinking of quitting.

Watching the tour this week, which if you're watching this, this will be a week old.

...